The effect of phosphorus fertilization and zinc spraying on some quality traits of sesame plant (Sesamum indicum L.)

Nawar Nizar Mousa^1*

¹Tartous Directorate of Agriculture, Tartous, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Nawar Nizar Mousa: nawarmoussa1970@gmail.com, Tel: 0960087600)

Received: 21/ 9/ 2024 Accepted: 28/ 5/ 2025

Abstract:

Beekeeping in Syria has a great importance as a small or medium-sized project that supports the agricultural economy and national income. It is considered the fourth producer of honey in the Arab world, and the Syrian honey is considered as one of the best types of honey in the world due to the good diversity of natural vegetation. Bee colonies in Syria suffer from: Parasite Varroa, Nosema, Chalkbrood and, and American brood (AFB). In recent years, a new and dangerous pest has been discovered that has invaded the world. It is the small hive beetle (SHB) Aethina tumida, came from its original habitat in Africa and then was recorded in the countries of North and South America, Australia, Europe and Asia, causing huge losses. This pest is considered a serious threat to beekeeping due to the role of bees in pollinating crop flowers, as it invades the brood and spoils the colony’s products within the hives and in stores as well. This pest has not been recorded in Syria yet, but it is necessary to be prepared for it, both at the official level and at the level of beekeepers, due to its importance, danger, and the difficulty of preventing and controlling.

Keywords: Aethina tumida Murray (SHB) Invasive Pest – Apis mellifera – Syria.

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Evaluation of the efficiency of some plant extracts on the biological characteristics of the tomato red spider mites Tetranychus evansi in the laboratory

Najah Mohamad Tonp1*, Ibrahem Aziz Saker1 and Angham Mohamad Boubou 1

1 Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Lattakia University, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Najah Mohamad Tonp, Email: tonpnajah@gmail.com)

Received: 15/ 6/ 2025 Accepted: 14/ 9/ 2025

Abstract:

A preliminary laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the biological effects of the aqueous extracts of four local plant species: oleander (Nerium oleander L.), common myrtle (Myrtus communis L.), sticky fleabane (Inula viscosa L.), and pink pepper (Schinus molle L.) against the red tomato spider mite, Tetranychus evansi, at its three developmental stages (eggs, first-instar nymphs, and adult females) on black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) under controlled laboratory conditions (temperature: 24 ± 4 °C, relative humidity: 65 ± 5%, photoperiod: 16:8 h light/dark). The acaricide azocyclotin was used as a standard reference treatment, in addition to a water-treated control. The results showed that the leaf extract of oleander (Nerium oleander) exhibited the highest efficacy in killing individuals, inhibiting egg hatching, and reducing female fertility, significantly outperforming the other plant extracts. The mean egg hatching rate was recorded at 4.4%, while the average mortality rates of both nymphs and adult females reached 78% and 72%, respectively, compared with the control. Regarding the evaluation of the fertility of newly matured females after treatment with aqueous extracts, oleander extract demonstrated the strongest effect, causing the death of all females in all replicates before oviposition. These findings indicate the potential use of local plant extracts as effective natural sources in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, thereby contributing to the protection of economically important crops from harmful mites in an environmentally safe manner.

Keywords: Plant extracts, T.evansi, Biological efficacy, Bioassays.

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Study of Some biological characteristics of the cucurbit fruit fly Dacus ciliates (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae) under laboratory conditions on the hosts of zucchini and cucumber and its distribution on the Syrian coast

Magda Mofleh^1*, Hanan Habak¹, Samer Issa¹ and Mohammad Al-Allan²

1 General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, Lattakia Research Center, Syria.
2 General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, Plant Protection Research Administration, Damascus, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Magda Mofleh, Email: magda.mofleh@yahoo.com)

Received: 23/ 6/ 2025 Accepted: 7/ 9/ 2025

Abstract:

The cucurbit fruit fly Dacus ciliatus (Loew) is found at various altitudes (5–1100 m) along the Syrian coast where it has recently spread in Syria (2023-2024). It affects several plant families in both protected and open field agriculture and infests several plant hosts (zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin, luffa, watermelon, and tomato), with high infection rates observed in both cucumber and zucchini. In some fields, by the end of August, the infection rate reached 100%. The results showed a preference of D. ciliatus for zucchini fruits compared to cucumber, with the average number of larvae per fruit being (20.1 ± 3.8 and 14.8 ± 4.3 larvae/ fruit) respectively, with significant differences. As for life cycle indicators, the average egg incubation period was (1.9 ± 0.5 and 1.8 ± 0.4 days), larval stage duration (7.6 ± 0.7 and 6.5 ± 0.9 days), and pupal stage duration (9.6 ± 1.0 and 7.6 ± 2.0 days) on zucchini and cucumber fruits, respectively. The life cycle from egg until the complete insect emerges from the pupa took (26.7 ± 1.6) days on zucchini at an average temperature of (25±2)°C, and (23 ± 3.2) days on cucumber at (30±2)°C.

Keywords: Lesser cucurbit fly, zucchini, cucumber, life cycle, Syrian coast.

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Survey of olive knot disease caused by (Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi) on pomegranate in some coastal areas, and testing the susceptibility of cultivated varieties

Lara Salah Msallem^1* and Ibrahim Khdr Alabid¹

¹Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Lattakia University, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Lara Msallem, Email: : laramsallem616@gmail.com, Tel: :+963968783516).

Received: 8/ 2/ 2025 Accepted: 3/ 8/ 2025

Abstract:

Olive knot disease, caused by Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastanoi, is a disease affecting pomegranate trees in Mediterranean Region. Therefore, this research aimed to study disease’s prevalence, incidence, and severity in some coastal regions. The field survey was conducted during 2023-2024 on 24 pomegranate orchards in Latakia and Tartous provinces on the Syrian coastal region. The results showed that the disease was widespread of 70.83%, as the disease appeared only in 17 fields out of 24. The disease was recorded in both Lattakia and Tartous at 21.5% and 20.77% respectively. The infection average varied from region to another. The highest infection was recorded in Al-Hanady at 52%, while the disease was not observed in Al-Drouqiah and Baamra, The varieties susceptibility to Pseudomonas savastanoi pv.savastanoi varied from one to another, where the French variety was a susceptibility, while the sweet variety was tolerance. On the other hand, the results showed that the pomegranate isolate was able to infect olives, and the olive isolate was able to infect pomegranates, confirming that the pathogen is the same for both tree species, and that pomegranates are one of the hosts attacked by the bacteria, along with olives. the symptoms appeared in Olive more quickly than in pomegranates.

Keywords: Pomegranate knot disease, knot, incidence and severity of infection, Pseudomonas savastanoi pv. savastano.

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Testing the effect of several liquid formulations of the fungus Trichoderma harzianum on the shelf life of biological control preparation

Shady Soliman *¹ , Moussa AlSamara¹ , Mohamed Ahmed ² and Nawal Ali ³

¹Department of Environmental Protection, Higher Institute for Environmental Research, Latakia University, Latakia, Syria.

² Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Latakia University, Latakia, Syria.

³ Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Latakia University, Latakia, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Shady Soliman. E-Mail shady-sm@outlook.com).

Received: 16/ 03/ 2025 Accepted: 23/ 11/ 2025

Abstract

Trichoderma harzianum is one of the most important biological control agents. It has a high parasitic capacity against economically important soil-borne fungal pathogens. It is also characterized by its high adaptability and ability to reproduce in diverse environmental conditions. The aim of this research was to study the effects of temperature, moisture, pH, and photoperiod on conidia production and biomass of Trichoderma harzianum. The results of the morphological and microscopic characterization of the isolate studied showed that its morphological description matched that of Trichoderma harzianum. The studied isolate gave the highest number of conidia 15.02±0.18 *109 spores/g at 30°C, and the average linear growth rate reached its highest levels 22.53±0.27 mm/day at the same temperature, while the studied isolate gave the highest dry weight of biomass 32±1.15 mg/g at 25°C. When testing the optimum pH, a significant increase was observed in the growth rate, average spore number, and percentage of inhibition with increasing pH up to 5.5, where it reached its peak of 24.4 ± 0.06 mm/day, 21.7 ± 0.88 * 109 spores/g, 57.1 ± 0.92%, respectively. These indicators decreased again with increasing pH. The 16:8 photoperiod treatment significantly outperformed the other treatments with an average spore number of 10.33 ± 0.17 * 109 spores/g. The average spore number at 25% moisture content was 2 ± 0.0 * 109 spores/g compared to 94.67 ± 2.2 * 109 spores/g at 55% moisture content, i.e., about 47 times.

Keywords:Trichoderma harzianum, conidial spores, growth rate, moisture content.

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Seasonal abundance of whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) on Eggplant in Homs governorate

Bayan Almustafa^*1, Dummar Nammour¹_,and Bassam Odeh ²

1Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Homs University, Homs. Syria.
2Homs Research Center, GCSAR, Syria.

(*Correspnding author: Bayan Almustafa, E-Mail :byanalmstfy@gmail.com, Tel: 963936290055).

Received: 10/ 07/ 2025 Accepted: 3/ 09/ 2025

Abstract:

The whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Genn.) is considered one of the most dangerous agricultural pests affecting a wide range of economically important crops, including eggplant in central Syria. It causes significant damage by feeding on plant sap and transmitting viruses. Known for its rapid reproduction, especially in warm and protected environments, its development and population dynamics are strongly influenced by environmental factors. This study aimed to investigate the seasonal abundance of B. tabaci, estimate the number of its generations, and assess the impact of climatic variables on its different life stages (eggs, nymphs, and adults) under field conditions.The research was conducted at the Al-Mukhtaria Research Station (Homs) during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons. Results indicated the presence of four generations in 2023 and five in 2024. The increased temperatures and relative humidity in 2024 contributed to higher insect activity and reproduction, particularly in the adult stage, which showed a significant positive correlation with minimum temperatures. The three developmental stages were variably affected by climatic factors such as relative humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed, highlighting the importance of these variables in determining optimal pest control timing. The findings suggest that integrating climatic data into early warning systems and integrated pest management (IPM) programs could enhance the effectiveness of whitefly control strategies.

Keywords:Eggplant, Bemisia tabaci, seasonal abundance, climatic factors, number of generations.

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Population density of Zabrus tenebrioides G. on wheat and assessment of the efficiency of certain preparation in management it

Bassam Ibrahim Oudeh¹^*

¹General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, Agricultural Scientific Homs Research Center.

(*Corresponding author: Bassam Ibrahim Oudeh. E-Mail :oudebassam@gmail.com).

Received: 19/ 05/ 2025 Accepted: 17/ 08/ 2025

Abstract:

The results showed that beginning activity larvae Z. tenebrioides was in end January in season 2023 and start February in season 2024 during stage emerging wheat, and peak it in weeks (first, second) from February average (1.50, 2.75) larva/ plant in seasons 2023, 2024 respectively, and spots infested different in field according to intensity infested, pupae of larvae were in soil in end February in stage Tillering, and the adults showed in beginning March, and peak of adults numeric on wheat ears in weeks (second, third) of May in stage milking ears average (1.0, 1.25) adult/ m2 in seasons 20.23, 2024 respectively, and decreasing in beginning June to (0.25) adult/ m2 in stage maturity, Using some preparation in beginning infested of larvae such: mixture attract (Imidacloprid 70%+sugar+bran+plant oil), (Asetamiprid20%+sugar+bran+ plant oil) bioinsecticide fungi Trichoderma harzianum, Sulfur powder, micron Sulfur, Naphthalene. Average efficacy on larvae after month were (93.5, 90.6, 87.3, 47.7, 43.2, 26.8)% respectively. mixture attract (Imidacloprid 70%+ sugar+ bran+ plant oil) were the highest efficient in control the larvae compared with other treatments, then followed mixture attract (Asetamiprid 20%+ sugar+ bran+ plant oil), while Naphthalene was the least efficient.

Keywords: Zabrus tenebrioides G., Numeral density, control.

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First record of the parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson, 1880) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) on the black citrus aphid Toxoptera aurantii (Fonscolombe, 1841) in Syria

Amena A. Alrostom *1, Ensaf H. Akel 2, and Nabil H. Abo Kaf 1

1 Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Latakia, Latakia, Syria.
2General Commisson for Agricultural Scientific Research, Latakia Research Center, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Amena A. Alrostom , E-Mail: amena.alrostom82@gmail.com).

Received: 10/ 04/ 2025 Accepted: 7/ 09/ 2025

Abstract:

During the research and investigation of parasitoid species associated with the black citrus aphid Toxoptera aurantii on citrus plants (Citrus spp.) at the Bouqa Center for Plant Research and Production, affiliated with the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering at Lattakia University, Latakia, Syria, during the spring months (March and April) of the years 2022, 2023, and 2024. Samples of T. aurantii and its mummies were collected from infested plant leaves using transparent bags, then transferred to the economic entomology laboratory. Each sample was isolated in a separate 2 ml tube, examined under a stereomicroscope, and identified based on the taxonomic key of Starý (1976). The parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes was identified. This represents the first record of this species on the black citrus aphid.

Keywords: Lysiphlebus testaceipes, Toxoptera aurantii, Black Citrus Aphid, Latakia.

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Study the Effect of Some Microorganisms in Biocontrol of‏ ‏Fusarium Tomatoes Wilting (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ‎lycopersici) under Lab Conditions‎

Bachar Aldakil^*(1)

(1). Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Aleppo University, Aleppo, Syria.

(*Corresponding author: Dr. Bachar Aldakil. E-Mail: bashardakhel6@gmail.com).

Received: 15/12/2019 Accepted: 6/01/2020

Abstract

Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops and it is infected with many pathogens, and the most important one is F. oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici. Biocontrol is one of the most important components of IPM. This research studied the effect of different bacterial isolates of Bacillus, Pseudomonas and different isolates of fungus Trichoderma harzianum to identify the most effective isolates in reducing the radial growth of vascular tomato wilt caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici. The experiment was carried out at Faculty of Agriculture Labs, Aleppo University, in 2012, according to complete randomized design CRD with 5 replicates for each isolate in addition to the control treatment. Measurements of the average diameter of the Fusarium colony was taken in each replication of the control area. The results showed significant differences between treatments when comparing the average colony diameter of different treatments with the control. The highest value was (8 cm) when using isolation PS3 while the lowest value when using isolation was (PS2 = 1.29 cm). T2, bas1 PS 3 and the control while there were no significant differences between PS, bas1, PS3, T2, T1, and bas1 and control treatment, which make it a promising method in controlling this pathogen.

Keywords: F.oxysporu f.sp.lycopersici, Biocontrol, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Trichoderma harzianum.
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Isolate and Identify of Storage Fungi in Two Varieties of ‎Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and Detection their Ability for ‎the Toxins Secretion ‎

Magida Younis El-Kadi⁽¹⁾ and Zahra Ibrahim El-Gali^*(1)

(1). Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Omer Al-Mukhtar University, Libya.

(*Corresponding author: Dr. Zahra Ibrahim El-Gali. E-Mail: Zahra.Ibrahim@omu.edu.ly).

Received: 31/03/2020 Accepted: 21/05/2020

Abstract

In the present study, seeds of tow groundnut varieties viz. Landraces (local vs.) and Virginia were collected from different market places of El-Beida city, Libya, and seed mycoflora was isolated by standard blotter paper method and agar plate method, then identified and addition to be checked for toxin production on PSA, CMA and YSA solid media. The identified fungal isolates included Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. terreus, Cldosporium cladospoirides, Fusarium sp. and Penicillium italicum. Data revealed that both varieties were affected by the fungal species however, 30 % of A. niger on agar plate method and 25 % on standard blotter paper, while A. terreus had the least percent incidence of up to 2% on agar plate method. Large seeds were more prone to fungal contamination than small seeds and higher numbers of fungi were isolated on agar plate method used as compared to standard blotter paper method. Results of the ability of fungal isolates for secretion toxins after exposure to liquid ammonia were recorded that color changed in pigment with different intensities, and PSA medium was suitable for toxin secretion by A. flavus, A. niger and P. italicum.

Keywords: Storage fungi, Incubation tests, Toxins secretion, Peanut, Libya.

Full paper in Arabic: PDF